Going beyond the headlines to give fans an exclusive look at the Seattle Mariners

Results tagged ‘ Endy Chavez ’

Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik announced today that veteran outfielders Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez have signed with the club as minor league free agents and will participate in Major League Spring Training as non-roster invitees.

Chavez, 36 (turns 37 Feb. 7), appeared in 80 games with the Mariners last season. He hit .276 (64×232) with 12 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 23 RBI while playing all three outfield positions. This is the third consecutive spring training Endy will be a non-roster invite with the Mariners.

A veteran of 13 Major League seasons, Chavez has appeared in 1,151 career games with the Royals (2001), Expos (2002-04), Nationals (2005), Phillies (2005), Mets (2006-08), Mariners (2009, 2013-14), Rangers (2011) and Orioles (2012).

Gutierrez, 31 (turns 32 Feb. 21), is looking to make a comeback after not playing professional baseball last season. Gutierrez last appeared in the Majors in 41 games with the Mariners in 2013, batting .248 with 7 doubles and 10 home runs. He missed 106 games in two DL stints with a strained right hamstring, April 23-June 21 & June 25-Aug. 25. Gutierrez battled several injuries and illnesses during a three-season span from 2011-2013 that allowed him to appear in only 173 of 486 team games, making 6 separate trips to the disabled list. He was an American League Gold Glove winner in 2010.

Pitchers and catchers will report to spring training in Peoria, AZ on Feb. 20 (physicals) and hold the first workout Feb. 21. Position players are scheduled to report for physicals Feb. 24 and the first full-squad workout will be Feb. 25.

The Mariners organization is pleased to welcome a special player into the fold with the signing of 16-year-old Venezuelan switch-hitting outfielder Brayan Hernandez.

Mariners Director of International Operations Tim Kissner and coordinator Emilio Carrasquel worked very hard to make this signing official and it all culminated yesterday.

Everybody in the organization is happy to have him on board and ready to make contributions on the field. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hernandez has been followed closely by the team, specifically by Carrasquel and scout Illich Salazar who is the area scout.

“[Hernandez] is a young man with tremendous physical ability and projection,” said Carrasquel. “We had the chance to see him with our International Director Tim Kissner and we always knew he would be a good acquisition.

“I believe he is a player, for his age, that combines all five tools that you need in baseball. He’s still developing and we are very happy that the Seattle Mariners have reached an agreement with the family and agent for Brayan Hernandez.”

Hernandez, for his part, was beaming after realizing that he would be joining the Mariners organization.

“I’m proud to be able to wear a Seattle Mariners uniform and I’m very happy because this is a dream that I’ve always wanted, to wear this uniform,” said Hernandez. “I never thought that I’d be here with them but thanks to God, everything worked out. I worked hard for this and it is a joy to wear this uniform, to be able to represent it and in the future be able to lead it to a World Series.”

Over the weekend, Hernandez visited with the team, met with the staff, worked out with the club and took batting practice.

“[Meeting Felix Hernandez] was a beautiful experience,” said Hernandez. “And it was always a dream to stretch out my hand to Cano and it felt very good to do that.”

Once out on the field, you could see the emerging talent shine. During batting practice, the young switch-hitter sprayed line drives all over the field and also hit a home run into Edgar’s Cantina in left field and hit a few off the wall.

“He’s a very interesting young centerfielder from Venezuela who we like his current ability and there is still the projection left with him” said Kissner. “He’s a plus athlete with plus instincts and tools. He’s an intelligent young man with good instincts for the game and all the tools that we have seen we like and we think that he can continue to grow. That’s probably the most intriguing thing, his ability to play the game but still the upside that he has left.”

Here are a few audio clips from Brayan Hernandez (in Spanish), Tim Kissner and Emilio Carrasquel (in Spanish) about the signing:

And baseball fans will surely remember this catch by Endy in the 2006 NLCS vs. the St. Louis Cardinals, one of the best in playoff history. Kind of a fun moment in the clubhouse this morning, Oliver Perez gave Endy (his former teammate) a big hug when he arrived in the clubhouse. Perez was the pitcher on the mound when Chavez leaped high above the left field fence to rob Scott Rolen of a home run.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.